How to Reserve an IP Address for a Device on Your Router

A router hands out local IP addresses and can change them whenever a device reconnects. A reservation pins one device to one address, which port forwarding, printers, and cameras depend on.

Find the device's MAC address

The MAC address is a 12-character hardware ID like A4:5E:60:1B:2C:3D. Get it from the device:

• Windows 11: Settings, Network & internet, Wi-Fi (or Ethernet), click the network, and read Physical address (MAC).
• Mac: System Settings, Wi-Fi, click Details next to the network, then Hardware, and read MAC address.
• iPhone: Settings, Wi-Fi, tap the (i) next to the network, and read Wi-Fi Address.
• Android: Settings, About phone, Status (or Status information), and read Wi-Fi MAC address. Some phones show it in the network's details instead.

Or skip the device and read it from the router's connected devices list, where each entry shows its MAC.

Log in to your router

Open the admin page in a browser and sign in. See log in to your router.

Find the reservation section

Look under LAN, DHCP, DHCP Server, or Network for DHCP Reservation, Address Reservation, Static Lease, Static IP, or Reserved IP. Note the address range shown nearby, such as 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.199.

Add the reservation

Click Add or Add New. Many routers offer a dropdown of currently connected devices; pick the device there and the MAC fills in. Otherwise type the MAC address. Enter the IP you want it to keep, inside the router's range, such as 192.168.1.50. Add a name if there is a field. Click Save or Apply.

Reconnect the device

The device keeps its old address until it asks for a new one. Turn its Wi-Fi off and on, or unplug the Ethernet cable and plug it back in. Then check the router's connected devices list: it should show the reserved address.

If the reservation never takes on a phone. iPhone and Android use a random MAC address for each Wi-Fi network by default, so the router sees a different address than the hardware one. On iPhone, open Settings, Wi-Fi, tap the (i) next to the home network, and turn off Private Wi-Fi Address. On Android, open the home network's details, tap Privacy (or MAC address type), and choose Use device MAC (or Phone MAC). Then reserve the address the router now sees.

If port forwarding or a printer keeps breaking. This is the fix. Reserve the address first, then point the port forwarding rule or the printer setup at that address.